Key questions for Monday's meeting between Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his American counterpart: the ongoing commitment to NATO, defence spending levels and peacekeeping operations.

"I don’t care if it’s a renovation of NAFTA or a brand new NAFTA," Trump said. "But we do have to make it fair."

"It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant. And why the president is taking steps to be proactive, not reactive," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday.

The protesters chanted slogans, held up signs like, "You can’t drink oil," and, "Keep It In The Ground."

A spokesman for Donald Trump confirmed the upcoming discussions as he held his first daily White House briefing Monday and took questions on trade, counter-terrorism and his own false statements.

Just blocks away from Donald Trump's inauguration, police deployed pepper spray in a chaotic confrontation as protesters registered their rage against the new commander−in−chief.

"(It's) at the foot of the Hill, chosen by Canada for its new chancery," wrote John F. Kennedy's old aide, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, in a letter.

One protest organizer expects thousands in a plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue, halfway between the Capitol and the White House.

As the Canadian government prepares its presidential inauguration bash at its embassy in Washington D.C., this year's menu includes poutine, salmon, beef, tourtiere — and a reduced bill for taxpayers.

"I think if we're just blatantly trying to push something that works for us but doesn't work for them, that's not going to be... quite as easy."